Introduction 

Today we gather to celebrate the festival of Pentecost.  This is the end of  and completion of the Easter season.  We have journeyed with Jesus and the disciples from the temptation it the wilderness giving up things and donating money to the Immigration Unit in remembrance of his own period of fasting.  We re-enacted the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as we blessed and shared Palms and as we processed into Church.  On Maundy Thursday we recalled the Last Supper that Jesus shared as we met for a Passover Meal.  On Good Friday we stood at the cross with Mary and St John and watched and prayed as we remembered Jesus’ death.  On Easter Sunday we shared in the joy of the resurrection, two weeks ago we recalled Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.  Last week John helped us ponder on the waiting that the disciples had to endure after the Ascension.  Today that waiting is over as the Holy Spirit came and transformed them. 

The festival of Pentecost was and is when the Jewish people commemorated the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai in fire and storm and precious Law.  On this day Jews from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate and in the midst of this celebration of God’s presence and interest in human affairs, the Holy Spirit breaks in and fills Peter and the disciples with power enabling them to preach and to connect with people from all over the ancient world.  Law gives way to Spirit as the Church is born. 

Transformation 

Pentecost is all about transformation.  A frightened group of disciples who were gathered together in that Upper Room for fear of the authorities are transformed into apostles fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel without regard to the danger they could have been in.  They’ve been through the horror and wonder of Easter and now this experience of God transforms them.  No longer are they huddled together but instead are filled with power – the Greek word used here in the passage is the same word that we get the English words dynamic and dynamo from.  This power sends them out into Jerusalem, and afterwards to all over the Roman Empire, and even further beyond to spread the Gospel.  Legend says that St Thomas even got as far as India in order to preach.  The apostles were transformed from observant Jews who gave careful consideration to the ritual food laws into pragmatic evangelists who adapted the laws they had grown up with if they got in the way of the Gospel.  The gospel is all that matters, everything else is just an argument about tactics.   

Unbelievers into the Church 

The effect of the Holy Spirit coming upon those apostles was to give birth to the Church.  Those who didn’t believe were transformed into believers.  Later on in the passage we read that over 3,000 came to faith in the Lord Jesus on that day.  Pentecost is all about transformation as it is all about the Holy Spirit who transforms us into the people we need to be.  Those who were devout Jews found faith in Jesus as messiah.  Those who were devout followers of gentile cults found in Jesus the answer to their spiritual longing and yearning.  Pentecost is about transformation. 

Inarticulate People into Eloquent.   

From what we know of him in the gospels, Peter is not noted as a good speaker.  He opens his mouth and gets into trouble.  He asks Jesus to walk on water, but sinks beneath the waves.  He promises never to desert Jesus but does so to his lasting shame.  He puts his foot in it at the transfiguration not understanding what is happening and at one point Jesus compares him to Satan!  Yet this guy who puts his foot in it, is transformed into the Church’s main evangelist.  The earlier parts of the Book of Acts are full of Peter’s evangelistic speeches, he leads the Church in its understanding of being open to gentiles and he was the leader of the earliest Church.  He is the rock on which Jesus built His Church.  This person was transformed and energised by the Holy Spirit.   

 

Pentecost & Us 

When we are filled with Holy Spirit our fears subside and we gain the energy to cope with them.  St John wrote that “perfect love drives out all fear”.  Augustine named the Holy Spirit as Love – the love that flows between the Father – the Lover and the Son – the Beloved.  This power of love stops us being afraid – of ourselves, our longings and desires, of what others think of us, of saying what we believe and showing the world that faith in Jesus is life affirming. 

We like the early believers are a mixture of unbelievers and lapsed believers who have been energised and given flesh and Spirit by God.  Just as in that vision of Ezekiel we heard earlier, so now the Holy Spirit brings these dry bones to life, and gives us faith.  Some of us grew up as Christian and have found faith anew in our context, some had lapsed and God has drawn you back to himself, others have converted from other faiths or from no faith and you have sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit as you have fallen in love with Jesus.  Just like the first believers you have been transformed into vibrant believers.   

And we have been transformed and made eloquent when we share our faith.  We may share our faith with or without words, but the Spirit works within us to help us as we witness to the love of God that has set us free.  Years ago MCC Los Angeles found a young runaway child on their steps.  Troy took him in, fed him, got him cleaned up and listened to his story.  Troy then took him to the police.  Now you have to realise that a gay person voluntarily going to the police in the 1970s was really brave.  And to go to the police with a young kid you were helping was really stupid.  The police of course were more interested in what this group of perverts had done to this lad and, of course, they got nowhere as there was nothing untoward to report.  Eventually the officer asked the young man “do you know what type of church this is?” and the boy replied “well I guess it’s a church that helps and accepts anyone”.  The Holy Spirit made this young boy eloquent and makes us eloquent when we share our faith with others. 
 
 

Conclusion 

So this Pentecost give thanks for the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Give thanks and asked to be filled again that you may be without fear, that you may be transformed and that you might be made eloquent to proclaim God’s mighty works to those you know.  Amen.